EVER since Roman times, the beautiful village of Comrie, in Perthshire, has been attracting visitors, although some, like the Romans, weren’t always welcomed with open arms.
The village, which sits five miles west of Crieff, was a strategically important site, which is why the Romans chose to build a fort on the south bank of the River Earn.
Today, the village, which has won numerous “Bonnie Village” titles over the years and is within reasonable commuting distance of Comrie, Perth and Stirling, continues to be a very desirable place to live.
One splendid property which perfectly reflects its pretty surroundings is Oakleigh, an outstanding family home lying in The Ross, an area on the western edge and possibly most desirable area of Comrie.
It sits within extensive and well maintained gardens which have been carefully planted to offer year-round colour.
The house was originally built in 1847 as a manse for the Free Church of Scotland and would certainly have been something of a status symbol to the parishioners.
Today, the house remains a large and elegant family home, the sort of property that would ideally suit those who enjoy entertaining as it has a good balance of reception rooms and bedrooms.
The ground-floor accommodation comprises vestibule, hall, drawing room, dining-room, billiards room and snug, kitchen, conservatory, study, laundry, cloakroom, garden room and boiler room.
On the first floor, there is the master bedroom with adjacent bathroom; four further bedrooms; family bathroom; box room, and sewing room.
There are many notable features, including Victorian tiled flooring in the vestibule; a carved wooden mantelpiece with Delft-style tiles in the dining room, and an elaborate carved wooden mantelpiece, open hearth and shelved display alcove in the drawing room.
The large billiards room, which has a bay window, is a lovely bright room in which you can brush up your gaming skills.
The large kitchen is another splendid room as it has stylish fitted cream-coloured units with polished granite work surfaces, integrated larder fridge and Bosch dishwasher, wine rack and white double-oven oil-fired Aga.
The house also has two rather nice places to enjoy the outdoors from indoors.
A smart garden room has four Velux windows on two sides and double french doors leading to a terrace, while there’s a large glass-roofed conservatory just off the billiards room.
Beautifully decorated throughout and in excellent condition, Oakleigh also comes with a little something extra – a former coach house which has garaging and workshops on the ground floor and an apartment on the first floor.
This could be developed to form a charming and comfortable home or an annexe to the property at a later date.
The combination of house, gardens and location make Oakleigh a very desirable home for those in the market for a substantial home.
The Perth office of CKD Galbraith is seeking a guide price of offers over £890,000. For further details, call 01738 451111.